Government consultant and radio show host Claude ‘Skelton’ Cline expressed during his Commission of Inquiry (COI) hearing on Monday, that he felt targeted and victimized as a private citizen after being summoned by the COI for a second time to submit additional evidence.
Cline made it clear at the beginning of the hearing of his resistance to any of the questions posed by the COI’s attorney Bilal Rawat, especially on the subject matter of the Virgin Islands Neighbourhood Partnership Project, a contract between him and the government dating back to 2010.
Cline’s approach to the hearing appeared to be combative, as he repeatedly expressed his discontent with the process and perception of the COI.
He said that any question on any of his contracts should have been posed to officials within government who are at liberty to provide factual information.
“I’m not the government, I’m not an elected official, I’m not a fiduciary of the government, I’m not a trustee. So with all due respect Commissioner, I think and correct me if I’m wrong, I am the only private citizen in a private capacity that you have summoned to this COI. I question that because it is too glaring to ignore,” Cline stated.
He added, “Which leads me to a conclusion, because it feels like targeting and victimisation to me in my private capacity as a private citizen.”
COI hearings damaging to reputation
The radio show host also said while in theory the Commissioner may have good intentions with the Inquiry, the reality is that most of what is revealed during these hearings are misconceived by the public.
He said it paints a bad narrative on the persons providing information, damaging their reputation.
Cline said he would have preferred to provide the necessary information behind closed doors as the best means for COI’s investigation process.
“The reason you’re going to feel some resistance on the private contracts that I’ve had is because on more than one occasion I’ve listened, I’ve heard Mr. Rawat invoked my name with the then minister Mark Vanterpool, with the then minister of education in a way that I think is willful and wicked. And it’s unacceptable to me as a private citizen in my private capacity as a husband, as a father, as a clergyman in this community, a very small community, where these things are dispersed through the airways that leads to inference and innuendos,” he explained.
Cline’s information critical to COI investigation
In responding to Cline’s many claims, Commissioner Sir Hickinbottom explained that direct information from the former government consultant was necessary for the investigative process.
He said Cline’s responses would be critical in clarifying a number of the existing discrepancies found in some of the information previously submitted.
“Firstly, the basis of that proposition is wrong, you are not the only private citizen and secondly, the evidence that I need to take proper to investigate governance and serious dishonesty in public office is a matter for me. You’ve already very kindly given evidence Mr. Skelton Cline on some of these matters but the stages have now been reached where it would be useful for me if you were to answer the questions, we’re going to put to you with regards to the matters which has been raised,” the Commissioner stated.
“At the moment there are serious suggestions in the evidence of really poor governance and some of those suggestions relate to matters in which you have been involved and I need to drill into those matters and you can help me do that,” Sir Hickinbottom further clarified.